Definition: Disability Determination Services

Disability Determination Services (DDS)

The Disability Determination Services office is the agency in your state that completes the disability decision for us. Doctors and disability specialists in the state agency ask your doctors for information about your condition. They will consider all the facts in your case. They will use the medical evidence from your doctors and hospitals, clinics, or institutions where you have been treated and all other information. They will ask your doctors:

What your medical condition is;

When your medical condition began;

How your medical condition limits your activities;

What the medical tests have shown; and

What treatment you have received.

They also will ask for information about your ability to do work-related activities, such as walking, sitting, lifting, carrying, and remembering instructions. Your doctors are not asked to decide if you are disabled.

For more information, please read the "Who decides if I am disabled?" section of our Disability booklet.